The legac
of Dickens
HIS ENERGY and
imagination seemed
unbounded. Dickens
composed 15 novels,
several plays, and
innumerable short stories
in a richly productive
35 years. Most of his
novels were published
in monthly installments
(below), so the author
often had to work on
more than one at a time.
A list of his masterpieces:
The Posthumous Papers
of the Pickwick Club
(1837). A well-stuffed
Christmas stocking of
colorful characters, the
record of Samuel Pickwick's
wanderings made Dickens
famous overnight.
The Adventures of Oliver
Twist (1838). In an angry
protest against England's
social system, young Oliver
Twist runs off to London,
where he falls into-and,
happily, out of-the
clutches of larcenous Fagin
and murderous Bill Sikes.
The Life and Adventures
of Nicholas Nickleby
(1839). In Dickens's expose
of the often-cruel Yorkshire
school system, Nicholas
becomes a teacher at
Dotheboys Hall, the
boarding school of boy
beating Mr. Wackford
Squeers-and administers
a beating of his own.
The Old Curiosity Shop
(1841). In a tragic tale of
love, Little Nell dies just
as Kit Nubbles arrives to
save her.
Barnaby Rudge (1841).
Against the grim back
ground of Newgate Prison,
Barnaby Rudge tries to
regain his wits while those
about him are losing theirs.
The Life and Adventures
of Martin Chuzzlewit
(1844). "Ah! what a wale
of grief!" cries Mrs. Gamp
as she and her imaginary
companion, Mrs. Harris,
observe tribulations that
work the moral regenera
tion of the senior and
junior Martin Chuzzlewit.
Dombey and Son (1848).
In a parable of pride and
its fall, Paul Dombey
heaps his hopes and
expectations on the future
of his son, only to see
him die in childhood.
The PersonalHistory of
David Copperfield (1850).
"Whether I shall turn out
tobetheheroofmyown
life, or whether that station
will be held by anybody
else, these pages must
show," wrote Dickens in
the autobiographical story
of young David's rise
from factory boy to writer.
Christmas Books (1852).
A collection of stories, the
volume opens with Ebenezer
Scrooge's rejuvenation
in "A Christmas Carol."
Bleak House (1853). Its
pervasive element the
dreary, muffling London
fog, this novel centers on
absurdities of the legal
system and the plight of
the uneducated and poor.
Hard Times (1854). In a
brutally materialistic
world, hard-bitten
Thomas Gradgrind learns
to make his account
books "subservient to
Faith, Hope, and Charity."
Little Dorrit (1857). A
child of the Marshalsea
the same jail in which
Dickens's father was
once held for debt
Little Dorrit grows up to
wed Arthur Clennam
in the shadow of the
prison walls they both
have known.
A Tale of Two Cities
(1859). Amid the historical
drama of the French
Revolution, Dickens
weaves a web of righteous
murder and sacrifice that
allows Sidney Carton his
chance to make good
and ruins Mme Defarge's
knitting in the bargain.
Great Expectations (1861).
"Be grateful, boy, to them
which brought you up by
hand," Uncle Pumblechook
advises young Philip
Pirrip (Pip), whose back
side shows a curious
inability to be grateful for
its treatment. Pip grows
from orphan boy to
wealthy gentleman-only
to lose his happiness.
Our Mutual Friend (1865).
In a satire of the nouveaux
riches and those who
would become so, John
Harmon throws off his
assumed identity to claim
his bride and inheritance.
The Mystery of Edwin
Drood (1870). Heavily
influenced by newly
fashionable mystery novels,
Edwin Drood and its
secret lay unfinished at
Dickens's death in 1870.
A vanished era comes to life as townspeople of seaside Broadstairs
take a turn about the garden of "Bleak House," for years a summer
452
home of the author, during the town's annual Dickens Festival.